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Peter SquiresEliot, Maine

Combining humor & heartbreak, Peter Squires can brighten your day or bring you down with just a few chords. A witty
songwriter & talented instrumentalist, Squires is never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. The new single 'When I Couldn't Move' was recorded by legendary engineer Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago....more

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collected all the folk tales
put them in a blender
spread them across a sheet pan
shaped like america
to see what it would render

some parts were revolting
some were inspirational
some were terrifying
because facing expiration
can feel confrontational

the overall result was
nothing if not memorable
but despite all its pages
the whole collection
was tragically ephemeral

you were born to be remembered
locally and worldly
your tale was a fine one
quite superior
except it ended early

Track Name: I Wish I'd Been There For Me

i wish i'd been there for me
with a peaceful offering
a dose of empathy
and some words of warning

the one who'd comfort me
help me grieve productively
display maturity
had been lost that morning

the picture's incomplete
when you're too close to see
starts to make sense to me
around 30,000 feet

wish i could tell old me
or should i say young me
you still have a family
they're just all in mourning

but it wasn't meant to be
it was meant not to be
i was only 23
but now i'm growing

the picture's incomplete
when you're too close to see
starts to make sense to me
around 30,000 feet

so these days when i see
you unavoidably
confronting destiny
please allow me to be

your solidarity
your stalwart company
a touch of therapy
something strong and sturdy

i wish i'd been there for me
with a peaceful offering
a dose of empathy
and some words of warning

Track Name: The Woman of the Woods

the woman of the woods
uprooted after all
she found me in the spring
and left me in the fall
with four years in between
i thought she just might stay
but leaving's more her thing
it's in her DNA

i wasn't meant to leave the city
she wasn't meant to land at all
we landed together in the country
but not once and for all

the woman of the woods
should not be held at fault
i pushed her out the door
she pulled a somersault

i wasn't meant to leave the city
she wasn't meant to land at all
we landed together in the country
but not once and for all

the woman of the woods
is more than of the earth
she's flying through the air
her domain is the world

i wasn't meant to leave the city
she wasn't meant to land at all
we landed together in the country
but not once and for all

maybe she will come back despite me
making her feel unwelcome here
i'd welcome her back but it is likely
she's onto the next frontier

i should've known it'd end up this way
basically dared her to call my bluff
women of woods should be held tightly
and i didn't hold enough

Track Name: Bird in my Hood

is that the Jackson brought to fame by June and Johnny?
we've got a couple empty days we need to fill
the 23rd or 24th would suit us nicely
if it's on the way from Richmond to Chapel Hill

but don't look to me for some reflected glory
don't look to me to learn how to be good
i don't have any coattails for you to ride on
but there's room for one more bird here in my hood

i'd like to be the bird in your hood
but i don't want to burden your hood

i heard about the tunes you made from Dan and Whitney
this Anne of yours seems to have a special gift
want to join us when we're up there in September?
we'll come up early, grab some beers and shoot the shit

i know you see me like a freshman does a senior
and you think i think you're just a hanger-on
morganeve and i will never call you peter
but we'll call you when there's friends to call on

i like when you're the bird in my hood
you could never burden my hood

Track Name: Occidental Mystery

i was born where the season change
and sometimes we have to hunker down
we're bred to think that's how it must be
but we love the colors when they're around

the colors now feel so long ago
that i forgot about blue and pink
you lose the pleasure of fallen snow
when fallen snow is all you can see

i followed an occidental mystery
though i'm oriented for the fall
tend to go south when things are looking bleak
but things end up looking up after all

it's the winter that makes us who we are
but we look better all dressed in green
guess that's why we partially hate ourselves
and always partially want to leave

i wonder what would happen if we retreat
to all the strength we built to survive
without the winter will there be spring?
and will we even still feel alive?

i followed an occidental mystery
though i'm oriented for the fall
tend to go south when things are looking bleak
but things end up looking up after all

Track Name: Sun in our Sky

whether headed on a trip
to watch my annie swing
or an adventure up to portland
to pluck some old 12-strongs
you were down to ride along
you're always down for anything
sun in our sky
we gather around the warmth that you bring

whether headed to the city
where our lives both begun
to play some tunes for old friends
or visit museums
you were down to make the trek
even when my plans were dumb
sun in our sky
you always find a way to make it fun

you encourage us to read
you encourage us to write
you encourage us to call you
when we're having a hard time
seem to effortlessly dig
and always find a gold mine
sun in our sky
your reflection makes us shine

Track Name: Man of the House

am i the mom? is she the dad?
in either case the kid's unruly
it isn't fair to fit us in
such normative roles and so unduly

the nurturing warm i'm yearning for
is something i can also offer
but will i receive what i feel i need?
the story's broke and so's the author

you showed such promise but couldn't deliver
we made some progress but lost to the winter
i looked so sturdy in all of the pictures
am i the building or am i the builder?

there's a room upstairs with a comfy bed
but i sleep on the couch i must be crazy
left here alone nothing gets done
and everything breaks it's quite amazing

i was lucky to find a man of the house
who happens to be an incredible lady
am i destroying the patriarchy,
or am i just useless and lazy?

you showed such promise but couldn't deliver
we made some progress but lost to the winter
i looked so sturdy in all of the pictures
am i the building or am i the builder?

Track Name: Tough Guy

fuck you, get away from my man!
you're not allowed in my house or my driveway
come close i'll put my mohawk up
and show you who's the bigger dog really

it's not fair such a majestic beast
was trapped in this ridiculous body
think i'll go take a shit in the yard
and mark all the territory

my picture says i'm little and cute
my behavior tells a different story
you can take your audition and shove it
didn't want to go to daycare anyway

Track Name: Fire in the Lumberyard

your town is calm and serene
but you can get bent out of shape by the little things
you seem to fear god, outsiders and change
your voices get loud when you're feeling outraged

i lit the fire in the lumberyard
and flooded the paper store
you thought that they would always be there
but they are no more

i lit the fire in the lumberyard
and flooded the paper store
introduced a little change here
so you would move forward

you gather your thoughts for op-eds in the paper
then gather to read them with all of your neighbors
so quick to lash out, so slow to reflect
you need a catastrophe for some perspective

i lit the fire in the lumberyard
and flooded the paper store
you thought that they would always be there
but they are no more

i lit the fire in the lumberyard
and flooded the paper store
introduced a little change here
so you would move forward

Track Name: Where the Summer Never Ends

we tell ourselves
we don't deserve it
this is where we belong
we have to carry this burden
no matter how the mercury falls

we tell each other
all of the time
that to be alive
you have to suffer
to revel in momentary relief

our lives together
have always been better
when the sun is out later
and the temperature is warm
i don't know why
it took this long to decide
we were meant to live where the summer never ends

so we're moving to new orleans
because we've forgotten how to party
but they'll remind us there
and they'll become our friends